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The Arts Intel Report

Julius Eastman & Glenn Ligon: Evil Nigger

Julius Eastman composing (c. 1969)

Jan 24 – Mar 16, 2025
52 Walker Street, New York, NY 10013, United States

The composer, pianist, and vocalist Julius Eastman died homeless and alone in 1990, in a hospital in Buffalo, New York. He was 49. During his short career, Eastman composed music minimalist in tone and jarring in name—as demonstrated by the title of this exhibition. In recent years, the Black, gay composer, so underappreciated while he lived, has been rediscovered. His last composition, which was unpublished, will finally be presented to the public at David Zwirner alongside a series of neon sculptures and paintings by Glenn Ligon. Despite working in different mediums and eras, their similar themes of identity and race form an affinity. —Lucy Horowitz